But members voiced few complaints with the reform concepts once the mayor spelled out all the things AdvanceKC is not.

“It’s not brain surgery,” James said. “We’re not taking anybody’s brains out or cutting off any limbs. It’s not some coup or civil war. ... No harm to anybody. No foul. Nothing suspicious. Nothing threatening. Nothing crazy.”

More specifically, he said, “Nobody’s losing their jobs” — though staff members with the PIEA and other agencies may have to change locations.

The idea, James said, is to create a single point of entry for developers seeking incentives to fill financing gaps for qualifying projects. That will involve housing all current agency executive directors and staff members in a single location.

The Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City, based in Downtown’s Town Pavilion building, will serve as the single point of entry. But each development proposal it fields will be vetted by a group that includes all the agency executive directors, who will decide which agency is best suited to deal with the proposal.

The proposal then will be acted on by the board of the selected agency.

Responding to a question from PIEA Chairman Jake Schopp, EDC CEO Pete Fullerton assured attendees that board members would not have to feel compelled to approve every project that reaches them. In other words, projects would not be deemed approved after making it through the original combined-staff review process.

James said there were multiple reasons for that process, including desires to eliminate developer shopping among agencies and create a less confusing path to incentives.

In addition, he said, the process will ensure upfront that development proposals meet the City Council’s goals and priorities.

With the current system, James said, the City Council does not give input on economic development projects until developers have spent significant money advancing them at the agency level.

In the meantime, council members are being lobbied so hard that “they feel stuck” with the projects, he said.

“That’s bass ackwards,” James said.

Another problem with the current system is that it does not allow the city to direct incentives to areas, such as the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, deemed appropriate financing targets.

With the proposed reforms, James said, the EDC would take more of a targeted approach through better planning and the addition of a research arm to support its plans.

“We need to do our homework and plan with everybody at the same table,” he said.

PIEA board member Bonnie Sue Cooper, a former Kansas City councilwoman, said the reforms sound good to her. But the city will continue to struggle with economic development until its underperforming school districts are improved, she said.

“I can’t do anything about everything all the time,” James responded.

But AdvanceKC will advance the city’s economic development efforts by getting everyone on the same team, he told the PIEA board.